This invention relates generally to trains and other rail vehicles and more particularly to systems and methods for remote control of trains.
It is known to remotely control locomotive functions such as braking and throttle using a portable wireless device to transmit commands to a receiver on board the locomotive. One such system is commercially available under the trade name LOCOTROL RCL.
Remote control locomotive systems reduce the need for human operators on board locomotives and are frequently used in rail yards. However, rail yards typically include at least several unsecured crossings, which lack signals, crossing gates, and/or other safety mechanisms. Current Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) regulations require the locomotive operator to be physically present at such crossings. This forces the operator to move around with the locomotive being controlled, rather than staying in a fixed location, and in part defeats the benefits of using remote control.
Systems have been proposed which use cameras to provide video surveillance of unsecured crossings, allowing an operator to monitor them remotely. However, these systems do not guarantee that the operator is paying attention to a particular crossing when the train he is controlling is actually passing through it.